Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has explained why one key difference happened during season 3’s ending, something that involves Penelope’s story changing compared to the books. In Bridgerton season 3’s time jump, it’s revealed that Penelope and Colin now have a son, the first male heir to the Featherington family. However, this is in sharp contrast to the books, wherein they have a daughter named Agatha, named after Lady Danbury, who, in the books, has a strong relationship with Penelope. However, this isn’t explored as in-depth during the adaptation.

Speaking with TVLine, Brownell explained that Bridgerton season 3 showed Penelope and Colin having a boy in order to ensure they won the race for an heir to the Featherington family’s leadership. The showrunner revealed how this difference from the book puts Penelope at the highest position of power in her family, a win she deserved after how she’d been treated by them throughout her life. Check out what Brownell had to say about the change below:

Because we had set up this heir race with the Featheringtons, it just felt like poetic justice for Penelope to win that race. After being treated the way she’s been treated in her family — like she’s lesser than — for her now to be, in many ways, the matriarch or the high queen in her family felt like a really lovely way to end her story.

Why Penelope & Colin’s Son Is A Fitting Change For Bridgerton Season 3

The Birth Makes Penelope’s Story Come Full Circle

Unlike Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the book upon which season 3 is based, Lady Danbury and Penelope do not have as close a relationship as the original novels illustrate. Because of this, it wouldn’t make sense for Bridgerton season 3’s ending to include Agatha, as she would no longer be as justified to be part of the story as she was in the novel. However, the larger focus on who will be the Featherington heir in the future justifies the core pair having a son following the time jump.

While their son is likely to remain a child throughout the remainder of the series, he acts as a multifaceted symbol for how Penelope’s life has changed for the better following everything she’s been through. Her marriage to Colin is strengthened thanks to their child, as they now have a tangible reason to do their best for the future. The child is also destined to become the most powerful person in the Featherington family later in life, something that ensures his parents will be a core part of the family’s history for the rest of time.

Penelope’s son brings her story full circle, as she is now the most powerful woman in her family while also embracing the love from Colin she’s always pined for. While the pair aren’t going to be taking center stage in Bridgerton season 4, their new position in the family will no doubt be touched upon in episodes to come. Although the couple will likely continue to grow and change in the future, their status in the family means good tidings for everything that comes their way moving forward.